Thailand introduces new tourism campaigns during New Year celebrations

BANGKOK, December 17 (TNA) - The Thai government, mainly through the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, is joining forces with the private sector to launch tourism campaigns as New Year presents for international travellers. Thai Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul told journalists on Thursday that the ongoing campaigning activities her ministry is organising with other private and public agencies will be continued until January 2016 to bring happiness to international New Year travellers. Kobkarn said highlights of the campaigns include countdown events on the night of the New Year Eve at seven main venues across Thailand, namely the Central World shopping complex in the heart of Bangkok, as well as those in the eastern Chon Buri, the northern Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai, the northeastern Khon Kaen and the southern Songkhla and Phuket Provinces. Kobkarn noted that the campaigns also include the Buddhist-style countdown, in which people are invited to join prayers as their New Year countdown at the Temple of the Dawn in Bangkok for their luck and good fortune in the coming New Year. Besides, her ministry will organise a spectacular light and sound show, using the Temple of the Dawn as a backdrop, together with opening up a walking street market at the Ta Chang Pier all the way to Yodpiman Flower City Market in the capital's Phra Nakhon area to allow international visitors to do their shopping and observe the peaceful ways of life of Thai people. Other activities include the extension of Bangkok's skytrain and underground train services until 2am (Thailand's time) on New Year Eve, free WiFi from three domestic mobile phone service providers under the Free Smile Project and a Selfie Contest with tourist destinations in Thailand. According to the minister, the activities are aimed to further stimulate domestic tourism to attract 29.5 million international visitors to Thailand by the end of this year, as earlier targeted, in order to earn the Kingdom up to 2.2 trillion baht. The minister projected that Thailand's tourism should continue to grow next year, when the country will not, however, focus on the number of international visitors, but the quality tourism instead, aimed to generate tourism-related revenues up to 2.3 trillion baht. (TNA)